Antibiotic prescribing practices of dentists for endodontic infections; a cross-sectional study

B. Abraham, Sheela and Abdulla, Nizam and Wan Harun, Wan Himratul Aznita and Awad, Manal and Samaranayake, Lakshman Perera and Ahmed, Hany Mohamed Aly (2020) Antibiotic prescribing practices of dentists for endodontic infections; a cross-sectional study. PLOS ONE, 15 (12). ISSN 19326203, DOI https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244585.

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Objective The indiscriminate prescription of antibiotics has led to the emergence of resistance microbes worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the antibiotic prescribing practices amongst general dental practitioners and specialists in managing endodontic infections in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design General dental practitioners and specialists in the UAE were invited to participate in an online questionnaire survey which included questions on socio-demographics, practitioner's antibiotic prescribing preferences for various pulpal and periapical diseases, and their choice, in terms of the type, dose and duration of the antibiotic. The link to the survey questionnaire was sent to 250 invited dentists. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and chi-square tests for independence and level of significance was set at 0.05. Results A total of 174 respondents participated in the survey (response rate = 70%). The respondents who prescribed antibiotics at least once a month were 38.5% while 17.2% did so, more than three times a week; amoxicillin 500 mg was the antibiotic of choice for patients not allergic to penicillin (43.7%), and in cases of penicillin allergies, erythromycin 500 mg (21.3%). There was a significant difference in the antibiotic prescribing practices of GDPs compared to endodontists and other specialties especially in clinical cases such as acute apical abscesses with swelling and moderate to severe pre-operative symptoms and retreatment of endodontic cases (p<0.05). Approximately, three quarters of the respondents (78.7%) did not prescribe a loading dose when prescribing antibiotics. About 15% respondents prescribed antibiotics to their patients if they were not accessible to patients due to a holiday/weekend. Conclusions In general, the antibiotic prescribing practices of UAE dentists are congruent with the international norms. However, there were occasions of inappropriate prescriptions such as in patients with irreversible pulpitis, necrotic pulps with no systemic involvement and/or with sinus tracts.

Item Type: Article
Funders: UNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords: Amoxicillin; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dental Pulp Diseases; Drug Prescriptions; Erythromycin;
Subjects: R Medicine
R Medicine > RK Dentistry
R Medicine > RK Dentistry > Oral surger
Divisions: Faculty of Dentistry > Dept of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Depositing User: Ms Zaharah Ramly
Date Deposited: 28 Nov 2023 01:03
Last Modified: 29 Nov 2023 04:12
URI: http://eprints.um.edu.my/id/eprint/36177

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item